Promoting adoption, spay/neuter, and forever homes

On The Naming of Cats

The naming of cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m mad as a hatter
When I tell you a cat must have three
different names.

First of all, there’s the name
that the family use daily,
Such as Victor, or Jonathan,
George or Bill Bailey–
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names
if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen,
some for the dames;
Such as Plato, Admetus,
Electra, Demeter–
But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you,
a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that is peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he
keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers,
or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind,
I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quazo or Coripat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellyrum–
Names that never belong
to more than one cat.

But above and beyond
there’s still one name left over,
And that is the name that you will never guess;
The name
that no human research can discover–
But The Cat Himself Knows,
and will never confess.

When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought,
of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

Thomas Stearns Eliot

(b. on Sep 26, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri, U. S. A.; d. Jan 4, 1965)

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats is a collection of whimsical poems by T. S. Eliot about felinepsychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It is the basis for the record-setting musicalCats.

The poems were written during the 1930s and included by Eliot, under his assumed name “Old Possum,” in letters to his godchildren. They were collected and published in 1939 with cover illustrations by the author, and quickly re-published in 1940, illustrated in full by Nicolas Bentley. It has also been published in reillustrated versions by Edward Gorey (1982) and Axel Scheffler (2009).

About LAPCATS

Laguna Adoption Program County Animals Team Sacramento (LAPCATS)

LAPCATS is an all-volunteer run and staffed effort to place healthy, loving adult shelter cats into forever homes. We are supported by the Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation, TEAM (the local non-profit associated with the shelter), and PetSmart. LAPCATS brings homeless shelter cats to the public through Petfinder and the Adoption Center in the Elk Grove PetSmart.

LAPCATS, established in April 2005, has now placed over 1,500 homeless shelter cats! Our cats are chosen for good temperament and adoptability, so if you are looking for a great feline companion and a real lap cat, please stop by today!

LAPCATS is a 501(c) non-profit under TEAM, the non-profit organization affiliated with Sacramento County Animal Care. Donations to LAPCATS are tax-deductible.

“Rescue animals aren’t broken, they’ve simply experienced more life than other animals. If they were human we would call them wise. They would be the ones with tales to tell and stories to write, the ones dealt a bad hand who responded with courage. Don’t pity them. Do something. Help to rescue. Donate. Volunteer. Foster. Adopt. And be proud to have their greatness by your side.” ~Pedigree